To Mask or Not to Mask, That is the Question

Yesterday we were all relieved to see that Indiana had finally passed a facemask mandate.  The state had been averaging over nine hundred positive cases a day this past week and had its highest total today since the pandemic started in March.  The national news had even picked Indiana as the next hot spot of coronavirus cases.  Cal, Cam, Meg and I thought that it was about time for a mask ordinance and if it ended the virus outbreak sooner rather than later, we were all for it.  Cal even ordered Bears masks to wear at Tippy as they would be required for bag boys starting Monday.

The only person who really didn't say much was Doug.  He asked a couple of questions about it, but said that he'd have to see the executive order before he would comment.  Today I understood why he said that.  People in Elkhart County had already started complaining on social media about the mask order and suggested that they would quit their jobs before being "forced" to wear a mask.  The same argument about "constituational rights" were mentioned as they had been when the county health department passed an order at the end of June.  Once the debate started here and in other Indiana communities, police offices around the state said that they would not uphold the order.  I was so incredibly sad once I realized that this reaction would affect all of us as cases would continue to rise, schools might not open and a return to normalcy would be postponed even further.

It's even more frustrating when I think about the data that shows that facemasks do slow the spread of the disease.  This has been demonstrated so incredibly clearly in our own state.  Bloomington stressed early in March the importance of social distancing and avoiding large social gatherings.  They even closed restaurants and bars to indoor dining before the statewide stay at home order began.  Brett had to use a facemask at work beginning the week of March 9th.  As soon as the evidence showed that the masks did slow the transmission residents of Bloomington followed suit.  This occured weeks before Monroe county passed a facemask ordinance and their numbers reflect the difference these small changes in daily life have made between the county north of us and theirs.  I realize that the conspiracy theorists won't agree, but for those of use that can count, it only makes sense to put on a mask.

Elkhart County
Population - 206,341
Positive Cases - 4346 (2.1% of the county population)
Positive Percentage Rate - 13.5%
Deaths - 70

Monroe County
Population - 148,431
Positive Cases - 596 (0.4% of the county population)
Positive Percentage Rate - 4.4%
Deaths - 29